Retail business owners, professional service providers and their staff are being urged not to use the town’s Main Street as an all-day car park.
It seems that customers are complaining that there is insufficient parking when they visit the town.
They feel it is not good enough to have the available spaces filled with staff cars when they should be free for customers especially in the run up to Christmas.
Alternative Parking
They point out also that there is sufficient parking spaces behind premises, the council car park and Walsh Electrical car park, with permission, where business owners and their staff could park.
It is also felt locally that if the parking situation is not improved, business owners will see their livelihood being affected.
There is an increasing level of talk pointing to the inevitability of paid parking and a full time traffic warden being appointed to Castleisland.
Reckless Attitudes to Parking
This is clearly due to the problems outlined above by the town’s customers but also because of the ongoing and increasingly reckless attitudes to parking and total lack of consideration by many vehicle owners.
It is just the kind of behaviour which made the building of the bypass a necessity over a decade ago now.
There have been suggestions recently that the introduction or the threat of a paid metering system might bring about a change in behaviour.
Causes and Consequences
It might, but that will present its own set of causes and consequences and will demand serious consideration as Castleisland’s free parking policy has been an integral part of its appeal for years.
Limerick Road has become a focus of attention in recent months as it has been largely reduced to single lane traffic due to residential and commercial parking there.
Space Evaporates, Problems Appear
Cars are managing to pass each other both ways on the greatly narrowed road space there but, enter buses and lorries and the space evaporates and the problems appear.
When the topic of traffic in Castleisland is raised, you quickly realise that it has, yet again, become a cause for more serious consideration.
I’ve heard the Limerick Road situation being discussed in the context of becoming part-time job for a full time traffic warden.
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